countenance
Americannoun
-
appearance, especially the look or expression of the face.
a sad countenance.
-
the face; visage.
-
calm facial expression; composure.
-
approval or favor; encouragement; moral support.
-
Obsolete. bearing; behavior.
verb (used with object)
-
to permit or tolerate.
You should not have countenanced his rudeness.
-
to approve, support, or encourage.
idioms
noun
-
the face, esp when considered as expressing a person's character or mood
a pleasant countenance
-
support or encouragement; sanction
-
composure; self-control (esp in the phrases keep or lose one's countenance; out of countenance )
verb
-
to support or encourage; sanction
-
to tolerate; endure
Synonym Usage
See face.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
countenancesimple
-
countenancessimple
-
have countenancedperfect
-
has countenancedperfect
-
am countenancingprogressive
-
are countenancingprogressive
-
is countenancingprogressive
-
have been countenancingperfect progressive
-
has been countenancingperfect progressive
Past
-
countenancedsimple
-
had countenancedperfect
-
was countenancingprogressive
-
were countenancingprogressive
-
had been countenancingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of countenance
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cuntenaunce “behavior, bearing, self-control,” from Anglo-French cuntena(u)nce, Old French contenance, from Medieval Latin “way of living, demeanor,” from Latin continentia “self-control, restraint”; see continence
Explanation
The noun countenance means the face or its expression. If you're a great poker player, you probably have a calm countenance. Countenance comes from a French word for "behavior," but it has become a fancy term for either the expression of a face or the face itself: "He had a puzzled countenance," or "what a charming countenance!" Countenance can also be a verb meaning to tolerate or approve. If someone does something offensive, tell them, "I'm afraid I can't countenance that."
Vocabulary lists containing countenance
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Face It: Selfie Vocab
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"The Raven"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
McVay had spent the previous availability explaining the reason for his somber and dour countenance during an awkward news conference the night before.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
But despite soundtracking 128 episodes worth of hormonal melodrama, Cole’s song most immediately evokes one image: the devilishly handsome, All-American countenance of the show’s star, James Van Der Beek.
From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2026
There was no way Ratcliffe would countenance extending that at a time when he is determined to cut costs and bring the wage bill down.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
Beckett was famously unforgiving when it came to fiddling with his works; his estate would not likely countenance egregious diversions from the “Godot” text.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2025
Wild was the wrestle which should be paramount; but another feeling rose and triumphed: something hard and cynical: self-willed and resolute: it settled his passion and petrified his countenance: he went on—
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Of course, a book that casts countenances as works of art also has an attendant ethics.
From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2020
He was also the only barefaced person in a sea of masked countenances.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2020
Every person faces the same way, their countenances drawn and unsmiling, a picture of dreary conformity.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 9, 2018
A dying figure, Agni, is surrounded by the countenances of mythic beings, including Mozart, Lewis Carroll, a witch, the Queen of the Night, Copernicus, Tristan and Isolde.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2016
Their countenances were so lifelike that sometimes he was sure they would leap out of their frames in the deep of night, flat hands grabbing, clothes rippling behind them in unseen winds.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
I’ve countenanced the strong plots because these books are so good.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
“Catholics are not extremists,” he said, bristling at any suggestion that he would have countenanced targeting Americans because of the nature of their religious beliefs.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 20, 2023
It understood its sector — venture capitalists and technology start-ups — and made loans that national banks would never have countenanced.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2023
Because it is outrageous that such a wealthy city has countenanced inhuman living conditions like this for years.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 25, 2023
This was extravagant and not to be countenanced.
From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck
But this flexibility with the case’s facts is one of many acts of distancing that aid in countenancing the unthinkable.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2025
Even this court, though, can hopefully still be shamed from countenancing the worst abuses of power likely to come before them.
From Slate ● May 18, 2023
Even wise, cool heads, such as the French diplomatist Jean-Marie Guéhenno, are seriously countenancing the idea that a no-deal Brexit may be better than prolonging the agony.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 9, 2019
At any rate, Rubio got flak from the right, which accused him of somehow countenancing illegal activity.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 10, 2015
Mr Gillman we believe to be too upright a man for countenancing any untruth.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 57, No. 351, January 1845 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
